In the work of Arnout Meijer, the relation between perception and illusion plays a central role. What we see is more a habituation to previous experiences than a direct presentation of the world around us. We see what we expect. Extraordinary phenomena, such as optical illusions, are therefore not exceptions but arise from the same mechanisms that shape the reality around us. In a similar way, the repetitive movements of celestial bodies create a reality – a sense of place and time. The rhythm of natural light influences the psychological state of humans, animals, and plants on Earth. All over the world, throughout history and across cultures, the sun, Earth, and moon have been revered through temples, rituals, observatories, and artworks.

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Despite Meijer’s interest in and earlier research on the rhythm of natural light, its movement sometimes remains elusive to him. This led him to develop the work Henge, in which the dynamics of the celestial bodies can be mapped. It is a measuring instrument that lies somewhere between a compass, a sundial, and an observatory. On a raised platform in the landscape stand eight poles, aligned with the geographical north. Resting on them is a ring, at the height of Meijer’s outstretched arm, on which data, times, and directions of everyday celestial phenomena are recorded in pencil. Henge makes something as intangible as the passage of time – the cyclical nature of existence – comprehensible by framing the horizon and, lying on the grass, the sky. The work connects light, time, humans, and the landscape.

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